Impulse-turbine.



H. F. SCHMIDT. Y

IMPuLsE TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 28. 1909.

1,148,994. PafenIedAug. 3,1915.Y

WITNESS INVENTOR.

'y' 'f By M57 Igmv g ZT. ,e//J T ORNEYJNFAcr HENRY IE'. SCHMIDT, OLEPITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THECOLONIAL TRUST COMPANY, TRUSTEE, OF PITTSBURGH, :PENNSYL- VANIA, ACORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPULSE-TURBINE.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, HENRY F. SCHMIDT, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have made a new and useful Invention in Impulse-Turbines,of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to turbines and has for an object to produce aturbine of increased efficiency.

A. further object of my invention is to produce means whereby themolecules of the separate streams of motive fluid traveling the workingpassages of the turbine, travel in substantially parallel lines and inwhich the losses due to centrifugal compression are materially reduced.

A further object is to produce means for eliminating, as far aspossible, the shock due f to the sudden reversal of the motive fluid.

These and other objects I attain in a turbine in which the motive fluidis constantly turned in one direction. rThis result can only beaccomplished by passing the motive iiuid in a helical path through anumber of working elements which unite to form helical passages. lllhehelices traversed by the fluid may have their axes parallel to the shaftof the turbine thereby forming an axial flow turbine, or they may beperpendicular to the center line of the shaft thereby forming a radialflow turbine.

In the drawings accompanying this application and forming a partthereof: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a portion of aturbine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a partial end elevation of awheel provided with blades or buckets embodying my invention; and Fig. 3is a diagram illustrating the helical path taken by the motive fluid.Fig. et is a diagrammatic transverse sectional view of the apparatusshown in Fig. 2 and illustrates the arrangement of the helical passages.

Referring to the drawings, the turbine shown consists of a rotor element4, a casing 5, rotating buckets 6 and stationary directing blades 7carried by the rotor and the stator elements respectively, and a fluiddelivery nozzle 8 which delivers motive fluid to the buckets and blades.The nozzle 8 communicates with a passage 9 formed in the casing andreceives motive fluid therefrom. The rotating buckets 6 and the sta-Specication of Lettersatent.

App1cation filed Aug-ust 28, 1909.

Patented Aug'. 3, 1915.

serial no. 515,020.

tionary blades 7 are so constructed that the motive fluid delivered bythe nozzle 8 is caused to4 travel a substantially continuous helicalpassage while imparting the energy tothe turbine. The first row ofbuckets (3 consists of a series of helical ducts or passages 10 locatedside by side and secured to a blader strip 11 so that the inlets 12 arelocated side by side on one side of the strip and the outlets 13 arelocated side by side on the other side of the strip nearerI thecircumference of the wheel. Each ypassage increases in cross-sectionalarea from the inletto the outlet and reverses the direction of the flowof the fluid stream delivered by the nozzle 8 and traversing it. Thefirst row of buckets delivers motive fluid to the stationary blades 7which, like the rotating buckets, consist of helical ductsv or passageslocated side by side and secured in place in a base strip 14 which issecured to the stator or casing of the turbine.' The inlet of thestationary blades registers with the outlet of the first row of rotatingbuckets and the separate passages increase in cross-sectional area fromthe inlet to the outlet end. lllhe stationary blades deliver fluid .tothe second row of rotating buckets 6 which issimilar to the first row ofbuckets except that the passages are of greater cross-sectional area. nynumber of rows of buckets and blades may be employed and any number ofnozzles 8 may be provided. The separate streams of fluid delivered bythe nozzles 8 to the first row of buckets are reversed in the directionof their flow in traversing the buckets and consequently are subjectedto a degree of centrifugal compression which corresponds to the velocityof the fluid and to the amount of curvature of the blade passages. Thiscompression, no matter how slight, is detrimental and occasions a lossin efficiency. In ordinary turbines the motive fluid traversing theworking passages is reversed first in one direction and then in theother so that it is subjected to a number of centrifugal compressions,each one of which occasions additional losses. With my invention thefluid continues in a helical path and is not subjected to a number ofreversals, and consequently the fluid is compressed but once by thecentrifugal force and the losses resulting therefrom are relativelysmall as compared to other types of turbines.

The delivery angle of the nozzle 8 is such thatrv the fluid enters thefirst row of buckets 6 'with little or no shock and since thecommunicatingblades are, in fact, sections of a helix, the fluid will bedelivered from the' r0- tating buckets to the stationary blades and fromthe stationary blades to the rotating buckets without shock. Moreover,the molecule'softhe separate'streams of fluidtraversing the workingpassages, will travel. in substantially parallel lines, for the reasony-tha't the entrance faces vof each passage are.

substantially parallel to each other and to the delivery faces ofthedeliveringxpassage of the next preceding rowof blades or buckets. Thisis important as it eliminates difficulties and losses due to eddycurrents which result from the intermingling of fluid traveling atdierent velocities through the same passages.

LIl know that helical or spiral guide passageshave been employed inturbines. Y My invention differs from the arrangement of t such turbinesin that the motive fluid travi .ing passage and partly under anotherfrom ersingone passage is not mixed with fluid v 'traveling at a lowervelocity and conse-v 1 :quently the efficiency 0f my turbine is higher.In` all the turbines known to me which employ the helical guidepassages, it is impossible to avoid having one bucket or blade orpassage ypartly under onedeliverwhich jets of fluid .are issuing attwodifferent velocities. VAs I have said, such an arrangement isdetrimental to thev eliiciency of the turbine `for the reason thatmixing fluids traveling at` two different velocities occasions a loss ofpart of the kinetic energyk vwhich was available prior to the shock ofintermingling the fluids.

The blades and buckets may be constructed from tubing of any desiredcross section,

Asembled as described above and a mass of bronze or brass cast aboutthem to form the blade or base stripsll and 14. These strips may beformed in any desired lengths and be ysecuredtothe elements oftheturbine in any well known suitable manner.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I havedescribed the principle of operation of my invention, together with theapparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof,but I desire to have it understood'that the apparatus shown is onlyillustrative and that the invention can be` carried out by other means.

IVhat I claim is:

l. In a turbine, a fluid delivery nozzle and alternate annular rows ofmoving and stationary helical working passages `for the fluid issuingfrom said nozzle.

2. A turbine, liuid delivery nozzles and means for causing the fluiddelivered from said nozzles to traverse the working passages of saidturbine in a number of separate parallel helical streams.

`3.' A turbine, a fluid delivery nozzle, alternate rows of moving andstationary blades comprising helical passages whereby ythe fluiddelivered from said nozzle is caused to traverse the working passages ofsaid turbine without being reversed ink direction.

4:. A turbine, a fluid delivery nozzle, alternate rows of moving andstationary helical passages receiving the Huid from said nozzle wherebythe fluid is constantly turned in one direction while traversing saidpassages.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 16th dayof August, 1909.

- HENRY F. SCHMIDT. `Witnesses:

CHARLES W. MCGHEE, Gno. A. WALKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

' Washington, D. C.

